Vice President Joe Biden’s May 2012 comments expressing support for same-sex marriage were not planned as a trial balloon for public opinion, but instead sparked “chaos” in the White House ahead of the November presidential election, according to a new book on the legalization of gay marriage.

Three potential Republican presidential candidates are among the high-profile political and business leaders convening in Park City on Wednesday at a private retreat hosted by former GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney.

Five months into President Barack Obama’s second term, allies and former top aides worry that his overarching goal of economic opportunity has been diminished, partly drowned out by controversies seized upon by Republicans in an effort to weaken him.

Weeks before President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address, White House aides were locking down a plan for the sales pitch that would follow during three days of travel focused on his main themes.